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(No Model.) 8 Sheets-Sheet 1. H. W. PAIRBRASS. UENTERBOARD.

Patented Feb. 15, 1898.

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No. 599,097. Patented Feb. 15, 1898.

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GENTERBOARD.

No. 599,097. a Patented Feb. 15, 1898.

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Patented Feb. 15, 1898.

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Patented Feb. 15, 1898.

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No. 599,097. Patented Feb. 1 5, 1898.

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No. 599,097. Patented Feb. 15,1898.

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- No. 599,097. Patented Feb. 15, 1898.

Irovaratorx ma Non O WASHINGTON D c UNITED STATE PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERTWYNNE FAIRBRASS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

CENTERBOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,097, dated February15, 1898. Application filed July 21,1897. Serial No. 645,435. (Nomodel.) Patented in England February '7, 1894, No. 2,661.

To-aZZ whomit may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT WYNNE FAIR- BRASS, a subject of the Queen ofthe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at No. 47Haymarket, London, England, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in and Connected with Drop- Keels, Oenterboards, and theLike, (for which I have obtained the following patent: in Great Britainand Ireland, No. 2,661, dated February 7, 1894;) and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact descrip tion of theinvention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, which areto be taken as part of this specification and read therewith, and onewhich will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in and connected with drop-keels,centerboards, and the like; and it consists of improvements in the keelsthemselves, in the centerboards, and in the gear for lowering eitherkeels or centerboard's into the Water and for housing them again.

The invention is particularly applicable to all vessels of limitedstability, such as torpedo-boats. 4

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are to be taken as part ofthis specification and read therewith, Figure 1 is a side elevation of atwo-parthinged drop-keel and its lowering and housing gear constructedaccording to my invention. The drop-keel is shown by the full lines aslowered into the water as far as it will drop and by the dotted lines assuspended nearer to the bottom of the boat. Fig. 2 is a side elevationof the same keel and mechanism, showing them housed or inboard. Fig. 3is a part sec tional end elevation corresponding with the fulllines ofFig. 1. 2. Fig. 5 is a side elevation illustrating the use of a coverfor a two-part hinged keel. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a boat fittedwith a single piece or one-part drop-keel, made according to myinvention. Fig. 7 is a sectional side elevation of the inventionillustrated inFig. 6, but on a larger scale. Fig.

b is a sectional side elevation on the same scale as Fig.7, showing thekeel housed or 'tened to the keel-timbers a a.

Fig. 4 is a plan of Fig.

inboard. Fig. 9 is a sectionalend elevationof the middle member of themodified construction of centerboard illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12.Fig. 15 is a detail end elevation, and Fig. 16 a detail side elevation,of one of the outer members of the same modified construction. Fig. 17is a side elevation of a boat fitted with the centerboard anddropkeelillustrated in Figs. 11 to 16, showing them lowered into the water.

a a are portions of the usual keel-timbers, cut away or slotted, asheretofore, for. the passage through them of the drop-keel and thecenterboard.

b is the trunk in which both drop-keel and centerboard are housed whenthey are inboard. It stands upon and is' securely fas- The mouth of itmay be fitted with pivoted flaps b b, adapted to close it when the keelis dropped and to swing back as the drop-keel and the gear are raised.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4, c c are the two parts of the drop-keel, andthey,.together with the rule joint cl, by which they are hinged to eachother, constitute my improved two-part hinged drop-keel. The pivot ofthe rule-joint d is fixed below the center of gravity in the drop-keeland preferably at the bottom and adjacent corners of the two parts 0 c.The two adjacent edges o c of these latter are both rectilinear andradial to the axis of the rule-joint d, so that when they are in touchwith each other the two parts 0 0 form, practically, one continuouskeel, as indicated by the full lines in Fig. 1. To make it still morecertain that the two parts 0 0 shall when'they are in touch with eachother present unbroken side surfaces to the water, and also to preventthe growth of weeds upon the said parts, a cover a is provided. Thiscover is closed at the bottom and both ends, but is partially open alongthe top to permit of the centerboard passing through.

c is abolt passing athwartships from one side of the trunk 11 to theother. It is either fixed to the trunk in such a way as to be capable ofindependent motion, as indicated by the respective full lines, or it maybe mounted in horizontal slots 6, formed in the sides of the trunk, soas to be movable fore and aft, as indicated by the dotted lines inFig. 1. This bolt constitutes the point of suspension for the drop-keel,the centerboard, and the lowering and housing gear. This housing andlowering gear consists of a four-lever lazyton gs. The two levers f fare of equal lengths and both have their fulcra in the bolt e when onlyone such bolt is used; but I may, if preferred, use two bolts 6 a (seeFig. 7,) one for each lever. Each lever ff is duplexi. 6., it consistsof a pair of parallel bars. g g are a second pair of levers, (elsewherein this specification referred to as the center plates or together asthe centerboard) They also are of equal length and have their fulcra ina pivot 9 which is common to them both and situated preferably midway oftheir length. Their upper ends are pivoted to the respective lower endsof thelevers ff by pivots g g Their lower ends are pivoted by pivots c cto the upper and respectively adjacent corners of the parts 0 c.

The center plates g g are adapted to move over each other s'cissorwiseor up to and away from each other, as indicated in Fig. 10. The upperends of these center plates stand between, their upper portions beingthereby adapted to move between, the two bars of the respective leversff. In cross-section each plate is of the proper shape for presenting asharp edge to the water. Each part c c is slotted in the plane of therespective center plate in order that the drop-keel may as it is beinghoused pass over the ends of the center plates 9 g.

A mechanism for working the housing and lowering gear above described isprovided. My invention does not limit me as to the type or theconstructional details of this mechanism. The one illustrated satisfiesevery requirement of the invention. It consists of a wheel h, fast 011ashaft 71,, journaled in bearings 7L t is aworm fast on the shaft h andengaging with a worm-wheel 2", fast on the axis of and between two drums2W journaled in brackets i projecting from one end of the trunk 1). Eachof the said drums has made fast to its periphery an end of one of thetwo suspension-chains jj. The latter are led over antifriction-pulleys7' 3' respectively, which are supported on fixed axes in the trunk andthen made fast by their free ends to the lower ends of the levers ff,respectively. The wheel h may be fitted with a radially-adjustablehandle (L3, as indicated by the dotted lines in Figs. 7 and 8.

The drop-keel is lowered by paying out the suspension-chains j j, theweight of the former carrying it down into the water. It is lifted orhoused by winding the chains in less or more, as may be required.

When a boat-for example, a torpedo-boat or a large yachthas a deepdraft, the point of suspension--the bolt eis high, thereby keeping thecenterboard inboard of the boat even when the drop-keel is out. Undersuch circumstances the shape of the drop-keel itself is modified in thedirection of makingit about twice as deep from top to bottom as it maybe long fore and aft.

Instead of making the drop-keel in two parts pivoted together, asalready described, the present invention permits of its manu facture inone piece, as heretofore, and it makes special provision (consisting ofthe central cavity, slots, and studs next described) for the connectionof the lower ends of the center plates to the drop-keel to accommodatethe necessary motion of the said ends away from and toward each other.

Referring to Figs. 6 to 9, C is a one-part drop-keel. 7.: is alongitudinal cavity formed midway of the two side surfaces. In eachinner side of the cavity are formed two slots Z I. These standsymmetrically with reference to each other and exactly opposite those inthe opposite side of the cavity, respectively. 7(170 are two studsprojecting from opposite sides of the lower end of the center plate gand engaging in the slots Z Z, and k are studs projecting likewise fromthe center plate g and engaging in the slots Z Z.

It should be noted that the respective dimensions of the levers f f andthe centerplates g g are adjusted so as to make the pivots g g standbetween the keel-timbers a a when the drop-keel is at its lowest level.The object of this adjustment is to provide for the junction of thelevers f f with the levers g g, being supported by the said keeltimbersagainst athwartship strains.

The object of the modification illustrated in Figs. 11 to 17 is toprovide a wider centerboard than the construction previously describedis adapted (without increasing the height of the trunk above thekeel-timbers a a) to yield.

,The modified centerboard consists of three plates 00 y .2. These are ofequal width and depth and approximately rectangular in shape.

If there is a drop-keel combined with the centerboard, it is made fastto the middle plate y, along the bottom edge thereof, as illustrated inFigs. 11 to 1 L and 1'7, the shape of the bottom portion of the saidplate being modified as maybe necessary to make a workmanlike junctionwith the top of the keel. It must be understood that the presence of thedrop-keel is not a feature of the present invention. Whether it isitself pulled into the trunk when the centerboard is housed or its owndiameter and length.

w is a vertical slot cut down the middle of the plate-y from the topedge to enable it to clear the bolt 6 as it isbeing hauled up to the topof the trunk.

o is a vertical slot in the center of the plate y for the stud, uponwhich both the outer plates as and 2 turn to pass through and move upand down in. l

u u are two horizontal slots. They are of the same size and standsymmetrically in the plate 1 with reference to the vertical slot 1),each one being alined with the middle of the latter and half-way betweenit and the respective side of the plate, as illustrated in Fig. 13.

a: z are the two outer plates of the improved centerboard. They hang oneon each side of the plate y and parallel therewith. They dis-- charge inpart in the present invention the functions of the levers or plates 9 g,For that reason the bottom end of the lever f is pivotally connected to.the top outer corner of the plate w by the bolt 9 while the top outercorner of the plate 2 and the bottom end of the lever f are similarlyconnected by. the bolt 9 The plates 00 andz are held to the plate y andto each other by the following devices:

tis the stud above mentioned as passing through the vertical slot '0 andserving as the axis of the outer plates w and z. The lastmentionedpurpose is achieved by the projection of the ends of the said stud 25througha central hole in the respective plate. The one 00 in the plate00 is shown in Fig. 16.

s s are arcual slots. There is one in each outer plate a: and 2'. Theseslots are of the same size in every respect and are both struck from theaxis of the stud t as a center, one are on each side of the latter whenthe three plates as y z are in their respective working positions. lheradius of the inner edge of each arc is then equal to the distance ofthe said axis from the nearest end of either of the horizontal slots toor u.

r r are a pair of studs, one of which'is made fast to each side plate ase at the same distance from the axis of the stud t as the radius of anarcual slot 8 or s, but on the opposite side thereof, inorder that itmay pass through the respective slot to or u in the middle plate y, aswell. as engage in the slot 8 or s, as the case may be, in the plate xor 2 on the opposite side of the middle plateq q are st op-plates-one oneach outer plate. A stop-plate is fixed to the top outer corner of aplate in a plane parallel with the latter and of a sufficient distancefrom it to receive the respective corner of the middle plate betweenthem. The operative part of edge 0 in the adjacent corner of thecenterboard, both abutment and stop being cut to the same angle andpositioned on their respective outer plates so as to engage when thesaid centerboard is down, as illustrated in Fig. 11.

a is a distance-piece between each outer plate and its stop-plate. Itsinner edge is concaved to clear the top outer corner of the middle plate'3 A' centerboard made according .to the present'invention' is housed bywinding in the chains jj. As the bottom ends of the levers f f arepulled up and apart the outer plates :0 and z are turned on their commonpivot t, the studs 1" r lifting the middle plate y, moving during suchlift first outward along the respective horizontal slot to or u, as thecase may be, and up the lower portion of the arcual slot .9 or s, as thecase may be, and afterward back along the said horizontal slots andthrough the remaining portions of the arcual slots.

The weight of the centerboard sufiioes to lower itself when the chainsare paid out.

A suitable stop is provided in connection with the mechanism for workingthe housing and lowering gear, adapted to lock the centerboard in anyparticular position.

I claima a 1. In combination, the housing, the levers or links f, f,having their upper ends pivoted therein, the drop-keel, the links or,plates pivotally'connected together and having their upper endspivotallyconnected with the links f, f, and the drop-keel connected tothe lower ends of said links or plates and means for operating thelevers f, f, substantially as described. v

2. In combination, the housing, the links or levers f, f, the drop-keelconsisting of two parts pivoted together, the levers or platespivotedtogether and having their upper ends pivotally connected to thelevers f, f, and

their lower ends pivotally connected to-the two parts of the drop-keel,and the. means for operating the levers f, f, substantially asdescribed.

In witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature, in presence oftwo witnesses,

this 21st day of-January, 1895.

. HERBERT WYNNE FAIRBRASS.

Witnesses:

HENRY H. LEIGH, T. F. BARNES.

IIC

